The Miseducation of Bella Swan
by zgirl21
Summary: Bella has all but given up on relationships and now, as a first-year teacher, she finds her resolve tested by a certain Music teacher/basketball coach at Forks High who also just happens to be an old classmate of hers. Rated for language and future lemons
1. Blast from the Past

**Here's the new story I was telling you all about. It's an idea I've been kicking around for a while and since my other story (Bleeding Love) is starting to wrap up, I figured it was time to get this one out. I'm currently student teaching so this is definitely a world I know something about (just as a warning, I'll probably be relieving some of my frustrations out here too...haha). And before you ask, yes, the backstory for this is semi-autobiographical and I figured I'd just run with it and see what happens. Hope you like!**

THE MISEDUCATION OF BELLA SWAN

Chapter One

BPOV

Although I hadn't lived, I mean _really _lived, in Forks for four years, nothing had changed much. As my ancient pick-up truck hobbled through the streets, it was hard to believe that I was back, driving through these streets again. It seemed like a lifetime ago since I had made this drive but the roads were uneasily familiar and my heart was still pounding wildly in my chest like it had eight years ago on my first day of high school. Now I was back and on my way to my first faculty meeting for my first teaching job. _Holy shit_.

I was an adult now. I had to not only be responsible but be responsible for other people's kids as well. Even now, driving up to my first 'grown-up' job, I wasn't sure how to feel about it. The probability of falling flat on my face my first year of teaching was just too high to be all that optimistic. It probably didn't help that I had had to move out of my cozy apartment in Seattle with Alice and move back in with Charlie. All grown-up with absolutely zero money. Moving back in with dad seemed like a backwards way of flexing my hard-earned, college degree-driven independence.

I could practically hear Alice's voice in my head: "_You're just saving some money, Bella, that's all it is. No shame in that."_

I tried not to notice my death-grip on the steering wheel. Maybe if I squeezed it tightly enough it would break off and I could get a new car. Fat fucking chance of that ever happening. I had been secretly hoping that Renee and Phil would invest in a shiny new car for me as a graduation present but as it turned out, they had decided to cover my student loan payments for a year. I was willing to take whatever I could get and their generosity was way more than I had been expecting.

As if my hair-brained mother had telekinetic powers, my phone started to ring. I dove in my purse my phone, silently praying that I wouldn't find it in time and be spared of her latest gab session. As much as I love my mom, I absolutely loathed talking to her on the phone. Once I had the stupid thing in my hand, I contemplated just letting it go to voicemail but thought better of it, knowing that she would just keep calling back until I finally surrendered to her annoying persistence.

Suppressing a groan, I answered it. At least I had time on my side.

"Hey Mom…listen, I can't talk for real long--"

"Oh honey, I know! I just wanted to call and wish you good luck for your first meeting. I'm so excited for you!"

I smiled into the phone. "Thanks, Mom."

"So…you're nervous, huh?"

I bit my lip and squeezed the steering wheel with my free hand a little tighter. Truth be told, I had been pushing it out of my mind since I had rolled out of bed this morning and just thinking about it made me grimace in uneasy anticipation. I still had three weeks until school started and my truck was loaded down with boxes upon boxes of book and odds and ends and, while I was thrilled to unload all that crap and see my room, I was not particularly excited to be bombarded with a million new people. I had never been, and probably never will be, all that great in new and uncomfortable situations and as my mom had so simply stated, I was nervous. Correction: I was scared out of my fucking mind.

"Uh…yeah, Mom. I'm nervous. What do you think?" I responded, a little too curtly than intended.

"Oh, sweetie, don't worry. Edward Cullen will be there." She responded slyly.

I groaned loudly into the phone and even though she couldn't see it, I rolled my eyes just for the sake of being melodramatic. I was wondering how long it was going to take for her to bring that shit up. Same old shit. Ever since May, it was a rare occasion that she didn't find some way to sneakily mention his name to me.

"Mom…" I bit out warningly. "Let's not go there right now."

"What?" She feigned ignorance. "All I meant was that you'll know someone there. It's kind of like the first day of school and you just need that one person to show you where your locker is and to sit with you at lunch…"

I snorted right into my phone. "Mom, you realize I don't even really remember what he looks like, right?"

This time, my mom laughed loudly, like it was some kind of weird, mixed up private joke I had no hope of ever understanding. And considering it was my mom, I wouldn't put it past her.

"Bella, I'm _sure_ you'll recognize him."

I sighed, knowing I was fighting a losing battle to even think about trying to reason with her. "Whatever. Look, I don't really have time to talk about this right now. I'm pulling into the parking lot so I'll call you later tonight, alright?"

"Ok, honey, I love you. And good luck!"

I sighed again and shook my head in disbelief as I tossed my phone back into my purse. Ugh. That woman never failed to amaze me; she always had some ulterior motive. And lately, that ulterior motive revolved around Edward Cullen. Slamming my truck's door shut, I winced a little at the thought as I started walking in towards Forks High School.

Edward Cullen. Ugh. He might as well be a figment of my (or Renee's) imagination. Or from another planet. Edward and I went to middle school together. Fortunately for him, he was something of a golden boy/all-star athlete. His perfect little family was new in town, complete with Carlisle, his gorgeous doctor father, Esme, his gorgeous stay-at-home mother, and Emmett, his gorgeous athletic older brother. Every guy at our school, including Jasper, my best friend since kindergarten, wanted to be him and every girl, excluding me, plain old wanted him. He was funny, cute, good at sports, and he was a genuinely nice guy, a rare thing among the jock population.

Still, I was in the miniscule minority in middle school. I didn't really see what was so fantastic about him. Maybe it was just a rebellious thing, to make a conscious effort to _not _fall all over the 'it' boy at school. I didn't want to be one of those girls who laughed at all his jokes, who were in the front row cheering for him at all his basketball games (I was cheering for Jasper), and who cast him long, blushing looks during class. The fact that he always seemed to have a different girl hanging on him didn't do him any favors either, at least in my opinion. Nonetheless, he was a hard guy not to like. I'd be lying if I said it took all of my willpower to not develop a school-girl crush on him.

Fortunately, my adolescence made it easy on my willpower. During those crucial middle school years, I was burdened with glasses, braces, mousy brown hair, a procrastinating-to-mature body, and acne. Thank God my parents had given in to my begging and let me get contacts in seventh grade. I was a hopeless tomboy, complete with the baggy clothes and the countless basketball jerseys I frequently wore to school. I doubt Edward ever saw me as anything other than that basketball player who kind of looked and acted like a boy. Luckily for me, Jasper, for the most part, shared in my awkwardness; we weren't necessarily unpopular, but we weren't exactly with the 'in' crowd either. This trend continued on through high school until we finally made it to college, where we met Alice, who turned out to not only be responsible for my newfound fashion prowess but Jasper's soul mate as well.

Edward, on the other hand, was always tragedy-free. Up until May that is. I don't know all the details. But this is what I do know: although Edward and I didn't go to the same high school because his parents moved them to, ironically enough, Seattle, when Edward graduated from middle school, Carlisle and Esme moved back to Forks soon after Edward started college. This gave Esme and Renee ample opportunity to reconnect, since they had become friends through going to our basketball games, and to gossip about their children as well. Every time Renee ran into Esme, she always managed to pass along whatever news there was about Edward and Emmett, as if I actually cared. It was always little pieces of information that I wasn't really interested in…_Edward goes to school in Seattle too, Bella…oh Bella, I ran into Mrs. Cullen the other day and she told me that Edward's going to be a music teacher…Edward just got engaged…_

And then in May, two weeks before the wedding, Edward's longtime girlfriend and fiancé walked out on him. This information trickled down to me through Renee, naturally. Supposedly, his fiancé started to have feelings for someone else. Edward was crushed, Esme had told Renee, and was now back living with his parents until he could find a more permanent place to live. It didn't matter to my mother that Edward was a heartbroken mess, all that mattered to her was that he was single again and now made it her mission in life to find some way to push us together. No matter how much I protested, complained, or stomped my foot, Renee was determined.

She definitely wasn't an expert in the art of subtlety either.

"_So I saw Mrs. Cullen yesterday at the grocery store and she mentioned that Edward's still single…"_

"_Good for him. It's probably for the best anyway if he's just single for a while."_

"_Well, Mrs. Cullen really thinks he should start dating again."_

"_Mom...no."_

"_I didn't say anything! I was just saying…"_

"_You were implying that you think Edward and I would make a good couple."_

"_So what if I do? Edward's always been such a nice boy and seems like he would be a good boyfriend for you. He's a teacher, he's respectful, he comes from a nice family…why is it bad that I want that for you?"_

"_Mom, that's not bad. But given the fact that I can't remember the last time I saw him, that we don't know each other anymore, and that he has an extreme amount of emotional baggage I want nothing to do with…I don't see it having much of a chance."_

"_Well, if I were your age and Edward Cullen was in running around this town single, I wouldn't hesitate to jump—"_

"_Knock it off, Mom."_

That was typically how our conversations about Edward went. It's not that I didn't feel bad for him though. And I definitely knew a little something about what Edward was going through. Through trial and severe error, I'd learned the hard way that relationships weren't something I cared enough about to make time for. I had had a string of not-so-fantastic boyfriends and that was enough to turn me off guys for awhile. I had discovered them to be nothing but unreliable and immature assholes. This also meant I wanted no part in Edward's situation. The last thing I needed was to get myself involved in something like that. I had more important things to worry about. Like surviving my first year of teaching without jumping off a cliff.

Still, when Renee discovered from Esme that Edward was a music teacher and newly appointed varsity basketball coach at Forks High, she did cartwheels for weeks.

With a deep, self-reassuring breath, I pushed open the doors and navigated through the hallways to find the auditorium. I smiled to myself while I pushed back my nerves and let my eyes roam around the school. It was nice to know that some things never changed. It was funny…I hadn't really walked these halls in four years and while they had remained the same, I certainly hadn't.

The auditorium doors came into view and I pushed through them before my nerves could get the best of me. I had planned it out just right and walked in just as the meeting began, taking a seat near the back and off to the side. Principal Greene started droning on about a few odds and ends in the beginning and then the part I had been dreading arrived: new faculty introductions.

I listened intently as he read off the list, one by one standing up once their names were read. I waited…I rubbed my sweaty palms on my pant legs and desperately tried to calm my heartbeat so I wouldn't like such a nervous newbie to all the other teachers. And then I heard my name called out:

"In the English department, we have an alumnus of Forks High, Isabella Swan…although I know she goes by Bella." Principal Greene joked while he scanned the crowd for my familiar face.

I stood and waved awkwardly to the crowd of curious faces who had turned around to get a look at me. And then I saw him. Damn Renee. She had been right; I had no trouble recognizing him. Zero trouble at all. I hadn't seen him up close in about five years but I would have recognized him anywhere. I guess some things just got better. Gone were the boyishly cute, teenage heartthrob qualities of his adolescence; he had matured into a living and breathing Greek god. The bowl hair cut I remembered was long gone but that shockingly bronze hair of his was wildly disheveled and the term 'sex hair' came to mind. It was deeply unsettling. Alarmingly unsettling. He was staring back at me with those striking emerald eyes I definitely had not forgotten, an odd expression on his face like he was in shock or something…but he couldn't have been surprised to see me since I was positive Esme was playing the same game as Renee.

As I sat back down, he smiled that lop-sided grin that had frequented the halls of Forks Middle School and was probably etched into the minds of every single girl he had ever came in contact with and I felt my breath catch in my throat. Why the hell was he looking at me like that? He waved to me and smiled again. I did my best to offer a small wave back and he just smiled at me again. He almost looked happy to see me. What the hell?

The blonde sitting next to him nudged him with her elbow and he quickly turned back around to refocus on Principal Greene. The blonde sitting next to Edward turned her head to send me an apologetic smile and I felt the air leave my lungs. Well, of course the best-looking people in the room would be sitting next to each other. She was, without a doubt, the most beautiful woman I had ever seen and I suddenly felt very self-conscious. I glanced down at my outfit and was at least comforted in the fact that Alice had taught me well. My dressy Bermuda shorts, wrap shirt and flats made me look professional yet still stylish and I silently congratulated myself for taking extra care with my hair and makeup today. Still, I didn't really hold a candle to the blonde. I doubt anyone could.

With a sigh, I pushed all those thoughts away and focused on the task at hand, deliberately avoiding staring at the back of a certain someone's head and used all of my lingering adolescent stubborn willpower to not notice that, every few minutes, he was sneaking glances at me through a slight turn of his head. _Damn it all to hell._

* * *

EPOV

_Ho-ly shit. Holy fucking shit. _Bella Swan. There was no way that person sitting a few rows away from me was Bella Swan. This was just insane. I vaguely remembered my mom telling me, among other things, that Bella had 'grown into a gorgeous woman' but given my memories of Bella from middle school, I hadn't really given it much thought. But gorgeous didn't even begin to describe her. When had this happened? I couldn't get over it. This was definitely not the girl I remembered.

Rosalie nudged me again and I jumped in my chair. Shit. She caught me. I turned back around in my chair and glued my eyes to the front of the auditorium to pretend to be paying attention. I could feel Rosalie's eyes on me but I kept on own gaze right on Principal Greene. It was the same speech he had given us last year and since he wasn't exactly one for reinvention, I didn't see the need to pay close attention. But I needed the distraction to keep my head from turning to my right.

So instead of paying attention to a speech I had already heard, I spent the rest of the hour trying to remember everything I knew about her.

Basketball player in middle school. Pretty good one, too. I remembered my parents dragging me to a couple of her high school games and I vaguely remembered seeing her at a few of mine too, tagging along with Charlie. She definitely had braces…I couldn't remember ever seeing her up close without them…really long brown hair but it looked different now, it was shinier and curlier. Definitely didn't remember her hair ever looking like that. She always hung out with that Whitlock kid…post player in middle school…she always wore baggy Nike shirts, always, it was never anything but sports related. She had had glasses too…when did she lose those? I couldn't remember. My mom telling me a few years ago that Charlie and Renee were getting divorced, then that Renee was getting remarried…I think my parents went to the wedding.

My most recent conversation with my mother kept replaying in my head:

"_You remember Renee Dwyer, right? Bella Swan's mom?"_

"_Yeah, sure. I remember."_

"_Well, I actually ran into her the other day at the grocery store and you'll never believe what she told me. I'm sure I told you Bella was going to be a teacher too…she just got a job in the English department at Forks! Isn't that crazy? You guys are going to be working together come September!"_

"_Huh…that's a weird coincidence."_

"_It definitely is." My mom laughed. "Listen, Edward, you have to promise me that you'll look out for her…you know, show her the ropes, answer any questions she has, help her out if needs it…this is her first year teaching and her mom told me she's pretty nervous about it."_

"_Yeah sure, Mom."_

It wasn't that long ago, a year only, since I was in the exact same spot as Bella. Getting my job had been pure luck anyway and in my desperation to just get hired somewhere, I had offered to coach JV basketball in my interview. Which, of course, had been a rookie mistake. First year teaching and first year coaching abso-fucking-lutely do not mix. I still don't know how I managed to make it through the year without ending up in a padded room. But, as luck would have it, the varsity coach decided to retire in the middle of the summer and I was next in line for the job, which had come with a nice little pay raise. And since I hadn't exactly been in the right state of mind to make any type of life-altering decisions, I had, naturally, just said yes. At that point, I figured nothing could possibly be worse than the year I had just suffered so why the hell not?

Fuck if I still wasn't suffering.

I could feel Rosalie's eyes on me again but I didn't give her the satisfaction. I knew she was worried about me. Everyone and their god damn mother was worried about me. Rosalie, being my sister-in-law, probably felt some kind of misplaced familial responsibility to take care of me at school. But I didn't need that from her or from anybody. I was through talking about it and done thinking about it. The open wounds from the worst day of my life were slowly clotting into a scar and I wasn't about it rip them open again by being stupid enough to talk about it.

Bella's reappearance in my life was a welcome distraction now. My mom had always been keeping me up-to-date on Bella's life from high school on and it had never been anything that was all that interesting to me. She was just someone I went to middle school with, someone I had had some classes with, someone whose best friend had been on my basketball team…we were never really friends although I don't remember ever doing or saying anything to her that she could potentially remember as mean. We just ran with different crowds…she was just a passing acquaintance, someone whose voice I couldn't even conjure in my memory and yet, eight years since I had first met her, I was fascinated.

Thankfully, Principal Greene let us go shortly after I snuck a last glance in Bella's direction. All the faculty members starting going their separate ways, whether it was to catch up with friends or to head to their classrooms to start prep and somewhere along the way, Bella disappeared into the commotion.

My mom's instructions to me kept whirling around in my head and I figured I had nothing to lose. I hadn't actually had a real conversation with her in probably five or six years and there was nothing wrong with catching up with an old acquaintance. Good thing I knew where the English wing was.

* * *

BPOV

I got out of that room as fast as my legs would carry me. I knew I probably should have stuck around to make small talk with some of the other teachers but my nerves just weren't up to it. Besides, I had boxes upon boxes of supplies and teaching materials to bring into my classroom and I needed to get started on that. Screw socializing. I could do that after my room was set up.

It took me two round trips from my truck to my classroom before I was officially out of breath and cursing my decision to build a robust classroom library. Those books were fucking heavy. Not to mention the boxes of games, textbooks, and classroom supplies that were still nagging at me. This sucked.

I was just rounding the corner that led to the doorway when I heard his voice behind me.

"Bella?"

I froze at the sound. I'm not sure why I was surprised by his sudden appearance in the English wing of the high school but I was shocked nonetheless. He was jogging over to me with that stupid smile on his face while I just stood there, completely dumbstruck.

"What are you doing?" He smiled when he had reached my side.

"I'm…uh…just bringing…uh…some boxes in from my truck." I stammered. Nice. Smooth. Very smooth.

He nodded and gestured his head for us to keep walking out towards the parking lot. "I'll give you a hand."

"Oh no, Edward…you don't have to do that. I'm sure you have a million things you have to do in your own classroom…you don't have to help me." There. Now he had an out.

He just shrugged his shoulders and kept walking with me. "I'm sure don't have nearly as much to do as you. Besides, I don't mind."

I frowned and nodded slowly in response. Now this was strange. There was no good reason for him to be so nice to me. It's not like we had been friends when we went to school together. Sure I had, for the most part, expected him to be fairly friendly just because of our parents, but not this. He was overtly going out of his way. And that did not sit well with me.

Still, I didn't foresee him relenting in the near future so I just gave up and let him bring in box after box with me.

"So, English, huh?" He said during one trip in from the parking lot.

I smirked a little. "Yeah."

"You know, I never really had you pegged as an English major type."

"Well, you never knew me in high school."

"That's true but you don't normally hear 'jock' and automatically think 'Ah, she must be an English major too', you know?"

I chuckled at that. He did have a point. "Well, I could probably say something similar to you too, you know."

He laughed now and jumbled the two boxes he was carrying as he walked through the door. "It's really good to see you again, Bella."

I almost stopped dead in my tracks. It wasn't just what he said but _how_ he said it. He sounded excited and genuinely happy to have me here, which was something I definitely couldn't wrap my head around. I hadn't talked to him since I was a senior in high school and even though we had went to the same college, we had never crossed paths there. Not even once. Seattle was just too big, I suppose. Still, the way he was acting toward me was something I couldn't understand.

"Uh…it's nice to see you again too. I can't really remember the last time I saw you, let alone talked to you for that matter." I responded lamely.

He laughed again as we walked into my new classroom. He set down the boxes and brushed his hands against his pant legs.

"I never knew you were into music that much…" I started, feeling more than a little awkward from the intensity of his eyes. He ran a hand through his hair and I shifted my weight on my feet uncomfortably.

We were walking back out to my truck now to make the last trip in and the spring in his step was startling. Wasn't he supposed to be depressed? Didn't the supposed love of his life just leave him two months ago? I hadn't been expecting him to be so…I don't know…whatever this was, I wasn't used to having a near-strange man be so nice and so friendly to me without wanting something else in return.

"I actually have always been interested in music, piano mostly," he was saying. "When we went to school together, that wasn't exactly something I wanted to broadcast though, if you know what I mean."

I nodded as I lifted the last box from my truck. "Yeah, I do. So…piano? What do you do with that here exactly?"

He shrugged as we starting making our way back inside the building. "I teach Music Theory, Composition…individual piano lessons…that kind of thing."

"And coaching? How does that figure in, considering music and coaching basketball don't really go together…" I was surprised by how interested I really was by all this.

"Yeah, I know…a major in Music Education and a minor in Coaching seems like an odd choice but I love them both so I make it work. Besides, teaching something like Composition during the day and then going to basketball practice after school keeps me on my toes."

"Nice change of pace, I guess."

He smirked and held the door for me with his foot. "Something like that, yeah. How about you? What does your schedule look like this semester?"

"Two classes of freshmen and one sophomore class."

"Ouch…I guess that's the price you pay for being a recent college graduate. Trust me, I feel your pain."

I chuckled in spite of the uneasiness I felt at how natural this was…talking to him, laughing with him, working with him. "I actually don't really mind. I dealt with freshmen all throughout my student teaching so it's not like it'll be a huge shock or anything. As long as my classes aren't _all_ freshmen, I don't really have too much of a problem."

His eyebrows rose at my last comment and he seemed impressed. "So you're not completely freaking out?"

"No, not yet at least. Ask me again on the first day of school and I might have a slightly different answer."

He chuckled as he set the box down. "I'll have to do that."

He smiled down at me and I felt my stomach do a back-flip. I wasn't sure I liked the way he was looking at me. It was too familiar…and way too friendly for someone I hadn't seen or spoken to in five years. Uneasy didn't even begin to describe the way I was feeling.

I sent him a quick smile and turned back to the piles of boxes cluttering my new classroom. With a sigh, I put my hands on my hips and made a mental estimation of how long it was going to take me to find a place for everything. Probably longer than I thought. Great.

"Where should I put this?" Edward asked, pointing to a box that was labeled 'library books'.

I frowned back at him, a little taken aback by his willingness. "You don't have to do that. You've done enough…"

He shook his head and bent over to pick up the box, waiting for directions. "I don't have anywhere to be for awhile and this is going to take you a long time to unpack without any help. I know you probably want to set some things up by yourself but I can at least unpack some books for you while you work on something more important."

I sighed and threw up a hand in resignation. "Alright…um…that's the box for my classroom library…I still have to move the bookcase but…"

"Where do you want it?" He cut me off.

I sighed again and bit my lip before pointing to a spot on the back wall. "Right over there."

He silently went to work on that and I turned back to setting up my desk, deliberately facing away from him so I didn't have the option of sneaking any glances at him, even though that didn't stop me from analyzing every second of our conversation. Ugh. This was just another example of why men were always so confusing.

Only the sound of his loud eruption of laughter made me turn back around.

"What?" I asked in confusion.

He held up a book I knew all too well. "You're really putting 'He's Just Not That Into You' in your classroom library?"

I shrugged and nodded, not seeing what the big deal was. "Of course. Every girl, at some point in their life, needs to read that book. It's the bible for relationships."

His eyebrows rose and he looked back down at the book, turning it over in his hands to read the back of it. "Huh…is there a 'She's Just Not That Into You'? That's one I could probably benefit from."

I didn't know what to say to that so instead, I laughed uncomfortably and smiled awkwardly at his joke. Well, at least he could laugh about it. That was more than I could say for myself when I was in that stage.

"I definitely did. I pretty much have it memorized," I said, figuring switching the focus to my past was less uncomfortable for both of us. "My mom pushed that on me a few years ago, promising that when I was ready to read it, it would 'open my eyes' as she put it."

"And did it?"

I laughed and nodded. "Absolutely. Reading that taught me pretty quickly that relationships are nothing but trouble and a complete waste of my time."

He smirked and rose his eyebrows again for what seemed like the hundredth time, like everything I said was a surprise. "I don't blame you."

Now it was my turn to raise my eyebrows in surprise. I had been expecting him to respond with some smart-ass, typical guy wisecrack about how I just hadn't met the right guy yet or that I should give lesbianism a try but not that. I saw very familiar pain and understanding in his eyes. As it turned out, we had way more in common than I would have ever guessed.

Before I had a chance to even contemplate the best response, the blonde Edward had been sitting next to during the meeting appeared in my doorway and saved me from myself.

"Edward!" Her velvety voice called out. "There you are…I've been looking everywhere for you."

Her eyes flew directly to me and instead of the ice I was expecting, I was met with surprising warmth and compassion. She was, after all, a teacher. She stepped into my room with her hand outstretched to me.

"Hello…Bella, right?"

I nodded as I shook her hand.

"I'm Rosalie…Edward's sister-in-law…I teach Organic Chemistry and AP Chemistry here."

My eyebrows raised and I shot a quick glance over at Edward, who was watching our exchange carefully. I definitely wasn't expecting her to say that. Maybe some kind of Foods or Home Ec. classes or something along those lines. If I had felt inferior to her before, I now felt about two inches tall.

"Wow," I managed. "That's…really impressive. So you're married to Emmett?"

She nodded, smiling politely back at me. "Yeah…two years now…"

She trailed off and glanced around me to catch Edward's attention. "Edward…are you ready to go? We have to meet your mom and Em for lunch, remember?"

"Oh shit, that's right! Alright, I'll be right there."

He quickly placed the remaining books in the box on the shelf and stood back up, sending me an apologetic glance.

"I'll see you later, Bella. It was great catching up with you." He smiled as he walked towards Rosalie.

"Yeah, it was. And thanks for your help, I really appreciate it."

He smiled that lop-sided grin again as he past me. "Anytime, Bella…anytime."

He smiled again and waved as he followed Rosalie out the door, leaving me in the wake of that confusing, frustrating, albeit intriguing last hour we had spent together.

Figuring I'd never completely figure it out anyways, I just shook my head and went back to unpacking. I had more important things to worry about at the moment. Edward Cullen, and all his bewildering tendencies, wasn't something I needed to be concerned about.

* * *

**So what'd you think? If you have any ideas or suggestions for me (or if you really want to know just how much this backstory is like my real life, lol) just let me know! As always, please R/R...I really want to know how you guys are liking this so far. **


	2. How Old Are We?

**Thanks to everyone that reviewed and added this to their alerts and favorites! I seriously live for that and you have no idea how happy it made me to know that you guys actually like this. I wasn't sure just because it's different from a lot of things out there right now but you guys are awesome!!**

**Also, I have to give a shout out to my awesome beta, partly because I flaked and forgot to mention her before, and just because she's awesome too: brighteyes87. Thanks for giving me the validation I needed to keep this going! Go check out her story, "Baby, You Can Stop Running". You'll love it, I promise. **

**Now, on to the first day of school...**

THE MISEDUCATION OF BELLA SWAN

Chapter Two

BPOV

I was even more nervous today than I was for the faculty meeting. On this, the first day of school, I felt like I was going to meet my maker. My stomach was jumping around in my throat, my heart was pounding unsteadily in my chest, my palms were sweaty and my knuckles white from my deathgrip on the steering wheel. Of course, having only gotten five hours of sleep the night before wasn't exactly helping things either. My eyes were inadvertently closing against my will and the few coherent thoughts I did have swarmed with valid concern that I wouldn't make it through the day without falling facedown in right in front of a class.

This was not how I wanted to start my teaching career. Shit. Fuck. _Fuck._

If only I had made myself get to bed earlier…I needed to invest in some sleeping pills or something until my body adjusted to this new schedule. Until then, I was just going to have to suck it up and sleepwalk through the school day. And that was really not the way I wanted this first day to go.

I barely looked at any of the students as I trudged through the parking lot and into the school. I passed the ladies in the office and managed a friendly wave to them…after all these years, they were still working here and they still remembered me. I made it to my classroom without any major disasters; I had half-expected to spill my coffee all over my new outfit from a recent shopping trip with Alice or to trip from over a crack in the floor and fly superman-style down the hallway. Luck was with today. So far at least.

When I sat down at my desk, I smacked myself on the cheek to wake up a little. I needed to be alert today. My homeroom kids started shuffling in and I looked up from my computer, attempting a smile at them. I barely got a response from any of them but it was a Monday and the first day of school. That was probably as good as it was going to get.

As soon as homeroom, ended I leaned back in my chair in exasperation. I had prep now for a whole hour and a half and absolutely nothing to prep. The only thing going on in all my classes today was introductions and discussion of the syllabus and that was all ready to go. In my excitement and nervousness, I had finished all my lesson plans for the week already and was now kicking myself for that. I had half a mind to just take a nap but decided against it just in case Principal Greene decided to pop his head in unannounced. So I resolved to take a lap around the school to kill some time and clear my hazy, sleep-deprived head.

Somewhere along the line, I found myself in the Music wing. Go figure. _You're just re-familiarizing yourself with the school, that's all_, I told myself…_oh come on, Bella, you know exactly why you ended up here…you want to see a certain Music teacher again…_the annoyingly observant, sickeningly sing song voice of my conscience was getting on my nerves. Traitorous conscience.

Still, my curiosity overwhelmed my desire to trump my conscience and I inched closer and closer towards the classrooms in the Music wing. I had no idea which room was his or if he even had class at the moment, but that didn't stop my feet from bringing me closer as if they had a mind of their own. Damn it. I almost felt like a stalker. Almost.

I crept down the hall so not to disturb any classes, sneaking peeks into the windows on the doors until I found him. I bit my lip at the sight before me and dared to take a step closer to get a better look inside. He was standing in front of his class, bronze hair in disarray, wearing a white button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows tucked into a pair of fitted black dress pants with a black belt. But it was his energy in front of his students that caught me off-guard. He was magnetic, from his friendly, charismatic smile when someone raised their hand to ask a question or provide an answer to his bell-like laughter when a student cracked a joke. This image, Edward the Teacher, was one I wasn't prepared to handle. And I was quickly discovering I had a weakness for kind, passionate, and hot Music teachers.

No, no, no. Absolutely not. I wasn't going to let myself go there. I had to be strong and stay focused. There was no point allowing myself to have delusions of grandeur…especially on the very first day of school.

Just as I was contemplating whether or not I had been standing there too long, Edward's head turned and he gave me a friendly wave, a big grin on his face as he continued talking to his class. That was enough to make me high-tail it out of there before I could make an even bigger fool out of myself and I could already feel my head rush with embarrassment at being caught staring.

Deciding that my little excursion around the school was done, I headed back to my classroom and I couldn't get that image out of my head. There was something about actually seeing him in action, in front of students, and in the role I also shared, that was incredibly exhilarating. It confused the hell out of me. He was just someone I had known once, barely at that. I had no idea why I was so intrigued by this and by him. I hadn't been this overwhelmed by any guy in a long time. He was, without a doubt, the most beautiful person I had ever seen before in my life. But that didn't mean I was going to throw myself at him. The irony, that almost eight years since we had been together in a school setting, I was still waging the exact same war with myself that I had had in middle school. Wow. And here I thought I had left those awkward, cringe-inducing years long behind me.

By the time, I was back inside the sanctuary of my own classroom, I still had about forty minutes left of my prep hour. So much for killing time.

When the lunch bell rang, I was still wrestling with a crucial decision: do I eat in the teachers' lounge or not? Part of me desperately wanted to be social…and the other part of me wasn't sure I wanted to subject myself to that yet. The teachers' lounge is, potentially, the worst place for a first-year teacher to inhabit with any kind of frequency. The more experienced, more disillusioned teachers can sometimes bring nothing but negativity and horror stories with them there, or so I had been warned. So I was torn.

But since it was the first day of school and my first day on the job, I decided to give it the benefit of the doubt and give it a try. It would be easy enough to just feign being constantly busy, even though I probably wouldn't have to fake it, if things went sour in the teacher's lounge quickly. With my decision made, I grabbed my lunch and made my way over before I chickened out.

It took me awhile to push through the massive crowd of hungry students but before I knew it, I was standing inside the fabled teacher's lounge. And what I saw there made me almost groan in frustration.

The second my eyes met Edward's sparkling eyes, he smiled that awful bright grin and waved me over to where he and Rosalie sat with a few other teachers. I forced a smile and took a deep, cleansing breath as I weaved around the tables in the room, using every ounce of my willpower to forget what I had overhead some of the girls in my classes whispering to each other. _Have you seen Mr. Cullen yet? Oh. My. God. I heard he was hot but I had no idea he was __that__ hot and his hair…omfg, I wish my boyfriend had that hair… _

Unfortunately, the only open seat was right next to the bronze-haired Greek god himself. If I didn't know any better, I'd guess that little shit saved it for me.

"How's your day going so far, Bella?" He asked, still smiling like he didn't have a care in the world.

I quickly sat down next to him and started opening my lunch bag as I answered. "So far so good, actually. It's not like anybody really ever does much on the first day anyways."

He laughed good-naturedly and I saw Rosalie even crack a smile.

He leaned his head down closer to mine and I felt my heart skip a beat. "I'm glad to see you're not heaving into a paper bag or anything like that…"

I bit my lip but that didn't stop the loud, girlish giggle that fell from my lips like excrement. God, I was making myself look like such an idiot.

"That's another mental image I don't need." I muttered under my breath, quickly realizing what I let slip and decided it was best to just play it cool.

The other teachers at our table fell into quiet conversations about their own first days and Rosalie remained silent as she picked at her salad, giving Edward free reign.

"So, Bella," he began lowly. "My mom mentioned you the other day."

My eye brow rose at that and I shook my head. So my assumptions _had_ been right. Esme was probably just as devious as Renee…with the exact same intentions too.

"Oh really?"

He nodded seriously. "Yeah…she was told, from a very reliable source, that you moved back in with your dad."

I hide my smile, knowing exactly where he was going with this and matched his tone. "You know, Edward…my mom mentioned you the other day too. She was told, also from a very reliable source, that you had moved back in with your parents as well."

He nodded again, his twin emeralds twinkling down at me.

"Huh…" he said, feigning bewilderment. "I wonder who your mom's source is."

"I bet I can guess."

"Me too."

We smiled knowingly at each other until I cracked and broke out into a loud giggle. It didn't take long before Edward had followed my lead and we were laughing hysterically together, like two long-lost friends in on some crazy private joke.

"You know," I managed in between laughs. "Sometimes I think my mom and your mom run into each other on purpose just so they can gossip about their children together."

He smirked. "I wouldn't put it past them."

I laughed again and shook my head in bewilderment at the thought our moms actually planning their gab sessions. Knowing my own mother, it probably wasn't too far off from the truth.

"Well, at least your mom can't be as bad as mine."

His brow crinkled a little in confusion but the playful smile still tugged on his lips. "How so?"

"For starters, my mom is notorious for gossiping about everyone. I'd have a hard time believing that Esme would ever really gossip about anyone but her children, no offense."

He shrugged and waved a hand in dismissal. "None taken."

"But, seriously," I continued. "I bet she could tell you who buys the generic brands in town, who shops in Port Angeles and where, who's sleeping with who, who's cheating on their wife, and who's cheating on their husband. And that's just in town, not including celebrities."

He chuckled heartily at that and even threw his head back in laughter. "I guess I'll have to count my blessings then."

He looked around the table cautiously, as if to make sure no one was paying any attention to us before he leaned down to whisper to me: "Everything's really going okay though, right?"

I smiled softly, my heart tugging at his genuine concern, before I answered him the same way. "Yeah, it's fine."

His forehead creased slightly at my generic response. "Would you tell me if it wasn't?"

I smiled again and nodded. "Yeah, I think I would."

His eyes glimmered with relief and he leaned back to his original position in his chair. "Good."

There was an awkward pause between us and my head was still swimming from how warm his breath had been on my ear. I glanced over at Rosalie but she was talking excitedly about something to another teacher sitting at our table. If she had noticed how close Edward had been to me only moments before, she didn't show it.

Edward seemed to sense my sudden discomfort and he shifted in his chair, clenching his hands tightly together in his lap.

"So…what have you done in your classes so far?" He asked. I knew it was probably just to make small talk and pass the time but the look in his eyes said different. There was genuine interest there and it made me nervous.

"Well…I just handed out the syllabus and we played an ice-breaker game…everyone had to write three things about themselves on a paper, then we threw them around the room and then we all had to guess who person was."

His eyebrows rose; he looked pretty impressed and I couldn't shake the little tug my heart took from it. "With freshmen? That's a little ballsy, isn't it? Especially on the first day of school…were they crazy with that?"

I shook my head, now unable to hide my smile from the success of my very first teaching activity with my very first students. "No, they weren't at all. It seemed like everyone was really having fun with it…"

He huffed at that and shook his head in disbelief.

"No really!" I continued, my excitement coming off of me in waves, I'm sure. "I've found that if you keep them busy, if you find activities that are fun for them…yeah, they can get out of control sometimes just because but for the most part, you'll keep their attention that way. And something like that lets them know some personal things about me that they probably wouldn't otherwise…some of them probably think a little differently of me now after I told them I used to have purple streaks in my hair."

He started to laugh and then a look of bewilderment crossed his face. "Wait…what?"

I smirked and shrugged. "What?"

His mouth fell open and he looked at me with a mixture of amusement and amazement. "Purple streaks, huh?"

I smirked up at him again and nodded. "Yep."

"So…what made you do that? Did you lose a bet or something?" He asked, a wide grin spreading across his face and I could tell he was most likely imagining me with crazy hair.

"Well, let's just say, I was going through a break-up and I snapped a little. It was something I had always wanted to do and I was feeling impulsive so I just did it. It wasn't even that noticeable. Needless to say, Renee was not pleased."

He chuckled and covered his mouth with his hand, his shoulders shaking with laughter.

"Wow…all I can say is wow." He managed to get out.

He was still laughing when time had run out and everyone stood up to return to their classrooms. We walked over to the door and he turned back to me, still with that wide lop-sided grin on his face.

"Well, Miss Swan…it was nice talking with you and I'll see you later." He waved and called out a quick goodbye before setting out towards his wing of the school.

Standing outside the teacher's lounge, I watched him walk down the hall with his hands in his pockets and a slight spring in his step. I jumped when Rosalie was suddenly at my side, her head tilted in Edward's direction with a curious look on her face.

"It's good to see him smile again." She said wistfully.

I didn't know what to say to that, so I just nodded. She gave me a soft smile and gestured for me to follow her into the bustling hallway. We walked in silence for a few moments before she turned to me with the same smile on her face as before.

"So how do you like it here so far, Bella?"

I have to admit, I was a little surprised by her friendliness. I had automatically expected her to be an ice queen but I guess I judged her unfairly. And she was married to Emmett after all, and for some reason, I couldn't see him with a total bitch.

"Everyone's been very…welcoming so far. Thanks for asking." I smiled back at her as we walked down the hall together.

She nodded knowingly as we weaved around the passing students. "You know, I haven't seen Edward laugh like that in a long time. What did you say to him?"

I shrugged, still not completely understanding what had occurred during lunch myself. "I told him I used to have purple streaks in my hair."

Her brow creased in confusion. "Huh…I guess I don't see what's so funny about that. I mean, it's surprising…to be sure, but still…maybe Esme was right…maybe he is going a little nuts…"

She trailed off and I could tell she was mentally kicking herself for saying a little too much. And she probably had. There were some things, especially about the 'situation', that I just didn't need to know. Truth be told, I was more curious than I was willing to admit but that didn't mean I was going to go searching for the information. But if Rosalie was willing to volunteer it, I probably wouldn't stop her.

"You know, if my mom wasn't such a gossiper, I wouldn't ever guess that anything…like that…had happened just a couple months ago." I offered.

She nodded sadly. "Edward is an excellent actor."

I wasn't sure whether to be sad or relieved when we reached the English wing. Rosalie waved as she continued to walk down to the Science wing.

"It was nice talking to you, Bella…I hope we can do this more often."

"Yeah, Rosalie, I'd like that a lot."

When she smiled again before I lost sight of her, she didn't look so sad this time. It was a strange feeling, watching her walk away. She wasn't at all like what I had expected her to be but I felt like I had made an ally during our walk from the teachers' lounge to my classroom and I planned on hanging on to that for as long as I could.

The rest of the day passed by fairly quickly and I could not have been happier to be walking out to my truck a few hours later. Until I tried to start it, that is.

Naturally, since everything else had been actually going pretty smoothly for me (apart from my zombie-like morning), it was only inevitable that this would happen. I pulled and pushed and pumped the gas but nothing happened. As luck would have it, my truck had passed away sometime during the day. R.I.P. truck.

After a string of very un-teacher-like curses, I started to shake the steering wheel.

"Come on, you piece of shit!" I yelled at the lifeless dashboard. "Why now? You know I can't afford to replace you!"

This was insane. I pulled a typical girl move and I did the first thing I could think of: I called my dad. Charlie would know what to do and I knew he would get here as soon as he could to help me out. Another string of curses fell out of my mouth when he didn't answer his phone. Shit. I moved on to the next name on the list and swore again when Jasper didn't answer. Shit. I had officially run out of men to call for help. I hadn't felt this completely inept in a really long time. Shit.

I gave the ignition one more try before I banged my head back against the headrest in frustration. My eyes closed and sighed in resignation. I would just have to wait until Charlie called me back and with my luck, I'd probably just be better off walking home.

I shot up when I heard a loud tap on my window. Edward, of course, was standing outside my truck, smiling that horrible lop-sided grin. With a sigh, I rolled down my window.

"Having some car trouble?" He asked cheerily.

"Yeah." I huffed.

"So…do you need some help?"

"Um…sure."

He chuckled and jogged around to the front of my truck to pop the hood. He fiddled around with something in or around my engine, I'm not really sure what he was doing though, for a little while until he peered around the hood.

"Try starting it again, Bella." He called out.

I turned the ignition and my poor truck grunted and groaned but still nothing. I heard Edward mutter something under his breath before he disappeared back under my hood. After a few more minutes of poking and prodding, he instructed me to try it again. Still nothing.

He slammed the hood, shaking his head, and jogged back to my window.

"Sorry, Bella…I pulled all the tricks I know, which isn't much, but I don't know what else to try. Can I give you a ride home?"

My heart leapt in my chest and I immediately began to shake my head. "No, no…Edward, you don't have to do that. I already called Charlie and as soon as I hear back from him, I know he'll get here right away. I'll be fine."

He frowned and looked away for a second in annoyance. "Come on, Bella. It's not a big deal. Forks is a small town, I'm sure your house isn't out of my way too much. You haven't even actually talked to your dad yet so who knows how long you'll be sitting here? Just let me give you a ride."

His jaw set tightly and his eyebrows were raised in anticipation. I could tell immediately that he wasn't going to take no for an answer. So with a heavy sign of surrender, I grabbed my bag and stepped out of my truck, begrudgingly followed Edward to the shiny silver Volvo that I assumed to be his vehicle. Of course he drove a shiny silver Volvo to school. Of course he did. And I drove, or used to drive, a '64 Chevrolet pick-up truck. Great.

________

EPOV

God, she was being stubborn. It was as if her sole mission in life was to act uninterested and uncomfortable in my presence. I couldn't figure this girl out. She was such an enigma to me and even though she was, for all intents and purposes, a stranger…the more I was around her, the more I wanted to stay around her. The few conversations that we had had were the first were I had finally felt like a normal person, where the weight of the past few months weren't just below the surface and I didn't feel like I was constantly being observed and analyzed with every move I made. Maybe the fact that she hadn't been around for all that shit had something to do with it. She was neutral and for the most part, seemed like she might have had some experience with what I was going through anyways. I felt like I could say anything to her…even though I probably wouldn't let that happen but still, it was nice to talk to someone and feel like I could speak uninhibited if I wanted to. And the woman she had grown into since the last time I had seen her, absolutely fascinated me. The more I talked to her, the more I wanted to know about her.

Yet somehow, I got the impression that her feelings weren't exactly mutual. The fact that she was sitting as far away from me as possible definitely reinforced that for me. Still, I couldn't stop myself from wanting to get to know this girl better, especially now that I was old enough to appreciate the kind of girl she was.

"So do you have any big plans for the night?" I began cautiously, trying to fill the empty space with something. Anything but silence.

"Uh…probably just sitting around watching 'Arrested Development' with Jack or something boring like that." She answered casually.

I frowned. Jack? Who was this Jack guy? She had made it sound like she didn't have a boyfriend…not that it mattered all that much anyway but I couldn't shake that nagging feeling at the thought. Why did it bother me so much at the possibility of Bella having some boyfriend that she sat around and watched "Arrested Development" with? Wait a minute…did she just say…

"Did you say 'Arrested Development'?" I asked pointedly, whipping my head around in shock over yet another surprising and fascinating discovery about this 'new' Bella. New to me, at least.

"Yeah, that's what I said. Wait a minute…do you watch that show, too?" She asked, her eyes wide with confusion.

I nodded, too surprised to speak.

Her eyes just grew wider with realization. "That is absolutely crazy. I don't know anybody that likes that show. Anybody."

I nodded again. "Same here…that's why I was so surprised. I keep trying to get Emmett to give it a try but he just doesn't get it."

Bella's face lit up in understanding. "I know…you really have to pay attention to it but it's just so fucking hilarious. I love the episode where Buster gets his hand bitten off by the 'loose seal'. I was laughing so hard I was crying!"

"That episode was epic. Absolutely epic. My other favorite episode is the Christmas episode…oh, and the one where they go to Motherboy…I can barely make it through without falling off my goddamn chair. And Emmett just sits there looking at me like I'm crazy…"

Bella chuckled and I felt my chest tighten at the sound. "I know exactly what you mean, Jasper and Alice are the exact same way."

Well, this was interesting. "Jasper? As in Jasper Whitlock? You're still friends with him?"

I couldn't believe how eager I sounded with all my stupid questions. I might as well be back in high school. Or worse, middle school. I hadn't expected this. I had expected her to be a lot like how she was in middle school; reserved, nerdy, awkward, face full of braces and glasses…I had been immature and ignorant to think she would be anything more than that. And fuck was she ever.

Bella was nodding in amusement. "Yeah…Jasper and I stayed friends in high school and then we went to college together, I think, just because we were too scared to be anywhere new without the other one."

"And you guys never…you know…" I trailed off, mentally kicking myself for asking such a personal question.

She laughed good-naturedly and I sighed with relief that she didn't seem too offended by my suggestion. "Oh God no, never, ever, ever…actually, Jasper's engaged to my roommate, Alice. You wouldn't think it but they're pretty perfect for each other…he's quiet and she'll talk your ear off if you'll let her but it works."

She stopped abruptly and looked at me apologetically. I knew exactly what she was thinking and why she would be sorry. It was a rare occasion that I didn't flinch at the mention of couples or relationships. To my own surprise, talking about someone else getting married didn't really bother me that much. There was just a dull ache that I had a feeling would be there for a while but it was nice to know that with each day, I seemed to be on the right track. There was no where to go but up anyways.

I was a little shocked with myself to realize how disappointed I was that she lived so close to the school and I wasn't going to have as much time with her as I thought I would. When we pulled into her driveway, Chief Swan's cruiser was already sitting there and he was just getting out of it.

"Bella?" He asked, looking at her with confusion. When his gaze met mine, they widened with recognition and surprise. "Edward? What are you doing here? This is definitely a surprise…I haven't seen you in years!"

I nodded and met him in the middle of the lawn to shake his hand. "Hello, Chief Swan. It's been way too long."

He smiled widely and clapped my shoulder with his free hand. "You can say that again, Edward. Bella…I just saw that you called me…what's going on?"

Bella, who had been watching our exchange carefully, seemed jolted out of thought and her head shot up to turn to Chief Swan. "Oh, my truck wouldn't start. Edward tried to fix it but I think it's finally dead."

Chief Swan shook his head and he ran a hand over his face, sighing heavily. "Well, I guess it was just a matter of time…"

Just then, a huge fur ball came barreling out from around the house and practically leapt straight into Bella's waiting arms.

"Hey Jack! How's it going, sweetie?" She laughed as she petted him.

I felt the tension I had been feeling before lessen considerably. Jack the golden retriever. Mystery solved. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't relieved that Jack was a dog and not a boyfriend. As if he had read my mind, the dog glanced around Bella and sniffed into the air. Then he stepped around Bella and crouched into a protective stance, growling with a malicious sneer.

"Jack!" Bella scolded. "It's alright…you're fine, buddy."

She knelt down to ruffle his fur and he seemed to settle down as he realized I wasn't a threat to Bella. I crouched down with a hand stretched out and he inched toward me, sniffing my hand cautiously until he finally licked it with approval.

"Don't worry about him," Bella reassured me. "He's just protective of me, that's all. He's completely harmless, especially once you get to know him."

I nodded and scratched Jack's head for a few moments, willing this dog to love me.

"Well, Edward, you're welcome to join us for dinner if you'd like." Chief Swan offered good-naturedly.

Bella shot her father a sharp look and I couldn't stop my eyes from narrowing slightly. She was always doing this, always seemed like she didn't want me there, like I was just annoying her with my presence.

"I'm sure Edward's got plans with his parents tonight, Dad." Bella said pointedly.

Chief Swan just rose an eyebrow and turned to me, waiting for a decision. But, I didn't want to make Bella anymore uncomfortable than she already was with this situation and I could tell she wasn't exactly keen on me actually taking her dad up on his offer. So I just nodded my head and I felt my lips turn up in a knowing smile when Bella looked visibly relieved at my refusal.

"Thank you but I actually do have get going. My mom's pretty excited to have me back home and she's having way too much fun in the kitchen so I wouldn't want to disappoint her."

Chief Swan nodded in understanding. "Alright, well, you're welcome here anytime though, Edward. And thank you for giving Bella a ride home."

I stepped forward to shake his hand again. "It was my pleasure, Chief Swan."

Bella's mouth fell open at that and I had to bite my lip to hide my smile. I was most definitely making her extremely uncomfortable and was that a blush I just saw? She waved, albeit awkwardly, as I walked back to my car and I chuckled to myself as Jack jumped up on her again. From the way she spoke to him, the way she ruffled his fur, and the way she seemed to be absolutely devoted to him…I was discovering very quickly that it was indeed possible to be jealous of a dog.

As I drove down the street and headed home, I felt an ache in my chest. But this time, it was different than the kind that had been plaguing me for the last three months. And it was a feeling I hadn't felt in years.

* * *

**So what'd you think so far? I love getting your feedback and any ideas you might have...**

**As always, R/R!! Now, I'm off to work on the next update for "Bleeding Love". Yay!**


	3. A Wicked Good Time

**Sorry for the long wait for this one...real life got in the way once again and it's here! I hope you like it. **

THE MISEDUCATION OF BELLA SWAN

Chapter Three

BPOV

I heard Renee honk her horn again for what seemed like the fifth time in the span of thirty seconds. God, that woman had absolutely zero patience. I hurriedly put the finishing touches on my makeup because, naturally, I was running late. Go figure. After tossing my keys, phone, and some lip gloss into my purse, I flew down the stairs and yelled a rushed good-bye to Charlie before kissing Jack on the top of the head as I ran out the door. By the time I slammed the car door, I was already gearing up for an earful from my mother about punctuality but instead, she just said hello and asked how I was.

I blinked a few times in shock before I found the words to respond.

"Uhh…I'm fine…" I trailed off, eyeing Renee suspiciously.

She caught my stare as she backed out of Charlie's driveway.

"What?" She asked innocently.

I just rolled my eyes at her and shook my head. "You're seriously not going to lecture me about making you wait? That's not like you…"

Again, I trailed off, this time for effect more so than loss of words. She was definitely up to something. But what…I wasn't so sure…I wasn't sure I even wanted to know.

The rest of the week had flown by in a blur. So much that I had nearly forgotten the plans I had made with Renee. If she hadn't called me Friday night to confirm the pick-up time, it might have slipped my mind all together. And god knows, it's been a bad, crazy week if I almost completely spaced out on "Wicked". Absolutely insane. Renee and I had had these tickets for almost six months and up until this week, I had definitely been pumping myself up for this beyond amazing show, not to mention my absolute favorite Broadway show of all time. But this week, everything had gotten so nuts from trying to learn the names of over eighty students, trying to learn the ins and outs of the school district, trying to figure out how to run my own classroom and then with my truck going to hell…needless to say, I had been pretty distracted.

I had spent my afternoon cleaning my room and blasting the "Wicked" soundtrack, much to Charlie's dismay, which of course, only led to me loosing track of time which was what led to Renee standing on her horn earlier. But still, her mood made me nervous. Sure, she was probably just as excited as I was to see the show but…there was something I couldn't quite put my finger on that made me uneasy. She just had that look on her face, that glow…which signaled she was up to something.

"Oh Bella…" her voice broke through my thoughts. "I forgot to tell you last night that some of my friends are coming to dinner too before the show."

"Alright." Well, that seemed normal enough.

"They're just as excited about the show as we are."

"Oh so they're going too?"

"Yeah…this is going to be so much fun, Bella! I just can't wait…and think about it, Bella…we've been waiting so long for this and it's finally here!" She even rubbed her hands together excitedly for effect.

I had to chuckle at her enthusiasm. "I know…those six months sure flew by fast."

She scoffed at that and waved a hand at me in dismissal. "Yeah right they did. I've been counting down the days since I got our tickets."

I was just about to ask if I knew her friends that we were meeting when she cut straight through my thoughts to ask how school went yesterday.

"Things are going pretty good, Mom. I have to admit, I was pretty nervous about this…my first teaching job…but now that I'm actually doing it, I can't even tell you how nice it is to have my own classroom. It's so different than student teaching…I feel like I actually have some freedom to do what I want how I want."

"I'm glad you're liking it, Bella…so…have you seen Edward Cullen at all?"

I rolled my eyes at her mention of _him_. Of course she would bring him up. I should have expected it but like the good daughter I was, I preferred to believe my mother wasn't intentionally trying to drive me insane. Or maybe she was. Regardless, the very last thing I wanted to do was relay every single one of my encounters with him over the course of the week. I knew exactly what she would do; she would analyze everything he said and everything I said and try to find some ray of hope that her dream for me would become a reality. Tough luck, Renee. What she was selling, I had no interest in buying.

So instead, I completely sidestepped her line of questioning and broached a safer topic. "You know, Edward's sister-in-law, Rosalie, is a teacher too. She teaches Organic Chemistry and AP Chemistry, of all things. She might as well be a model or something…anyway, I'm really glad I met her, she's quickly becoming one of my favorite people at school."

Crap. Shouldn't have said that.

Renee's eyebrows immediately shot up at my last comment. "_One _of them, huh? Who are your other favorites, Bella?"

She tilted her head towards me, her mouth turning upward in a knowing, albeit annoyingly triumphant smile. Well, I'll be damned if I was going to give her the satisfaction of knowing she was at least one step in the right direction of having all her dreams come true.

"Mother…" I warned. "I didn't mean that the way it sounded."

Now her smile just widened. "Sure you didn't, Bella."

I decided to be the bigger person and just let that one slide. "So anyways, Rosalie is pretty fantastic actually. When I first met her, I wasn't really sure what to think of her but now we sit together at lunch every day and she has the same prep as I do, so we're always bouncing from one classroom to the other. She actually had tickets for the show tonight but something came up with her parents…I'm not sure what exactly but I know she isn't going anymore."

I was hoping and praying that my mom wouldn't pick up on who else I sat by at lunch every day. As far as my personal life was concerned, my mother was on a need-to-know basis and she just didn't need to know that. I had every right to withhold information wherever I saw fit.

"Well, I'm glad you've found a _female_ teacher friend at school."

I had to bit my lip to keep myself from snapping at her for that one. She really needed to let this go; what did I have to do to make her realize that I had absolutely no desire to get involved with someone like Edward Cullen?

I bit my lip yet again for what seemed like the fifth time since I got in the car and resolved to just let everything go as we walked into the restaurant. Tonight was a night for music and fun, not for arguing with Renee about something neither one of us could do anything about. By the time we were waiting to be seated, I had all but completely cooled off and was now ready to just have fun with my mom. When she was leaving my personal life alone, she could actually be a lot of fun when she wanted to be. Crazy Renee.

Just as we were sitting down at our table, my mom's phone started buzzing in her purse. She snapped it open and her fingers flew across the buttons in an expert speed that completely threw me off guard.

"Since when do you text?" I sputtered.

Renee just held up a finger to silence me, her focus completely set on whatever message was being relayed back and forth between her and her friend. I took this time, this peace and quiet, to settle into my seat. It was then that my mind registered the four place settings at our table. Okay, so we were just meeting two of Renee's friends for dinner. I had just assumed that there were more than that but I guess in the grand scheme of things it really didn't matter.

"Well, they're just walking into the restaurant right now so they should be here any second now." Renee said excitedly, that glow seeping back onto her face. She practically had to sit on her hands to keep herself from clapping from giddiness. No wonder her and Alice got along so great…they both acted like overgrown children.

Renee started waving animatedly to her friends so I, naturally, turned to greet them. I nearly tumbled right off the booth at what I saw. When my heart finally started working again, my blood churned around faster and faster until it boiled over. That god damn crazy mother of mine. Always plotting against me.

For low and behold, who was walking towards our table but none other than Esme and Edward Cullen. Renee was a dead woman.

My soon-to-be-disowned mother jumped up to hug Esme, both of them smiling at each other with stupid shit-eating grins. I wasn't at all surprised when Esme slid in the booth next to Renee, leaving Edward grinning at me sheepishly, his hands shoved into both pockets. At least he looked just as surprised as I was.

"Bella." He breathed with a faint smile, nodding slightly to me.

I took in a deep inhale…in and out…in and out…a deep cleansing breath to calm myself and to not lash out at the insane women sitting across from me. I somehow managed a weak smile towards Edward and he took that as permission to slide in next to me. I couldn't stop myself from glaring at him; he had no where else to sit but I didn't like him sitting that close to me. It made me achingly nervous.

"How are you, Bella? Excited for the show?" He was smiling down at me now and I felt a hand grab tight hold of my heart. No, no, no. Not happening.

"Uh…yeah, I am. I…I didn't know you were going tonight." I stammered.

Edward opened his mouth to answer but his mother quickly cut in to answer for him.

"Well, Rosalie was actually supposed to come with me but something came up with her parents at the last minute so I had an open ticket. Even if Emmett hadn't had to go with Rosalie, he wouldn't have been caught dead at "Wicked" and Carlisle conveniently had to work a shift tonight so Edward was free and I figured since he loves music as much as he does, he wouldn't mind tagging along tonight." She smiled warmly at her son and I felt myself shifting awkwardly next to him.

He just shook his head and rolled his eyes. "Are you kidding me? I didn't have a choice."

Esme and Renee laughed heartily at his admission and went back to whatever they were clacking about. They were obviously trying to give us some time to get comfortable next to each other. Fuck if that was ever going to happen. Edward tugged himself out of his jacket and immediately stuck his head in the nearest menu, most likely to get away from this painfully awkward situation. Great, so he didn't want to be here anymore than I did. Well, this was shaping up to be a fun evening at the theatre.

"So, Bella," Esme's kind voice broke through my increasingly irate thoughts. "Edward tells me you're fitting in well with the other teachers."

I couldn't hide my surprise at her, somewhat out-of-nowhere, comment, and my eyes flew to Edward, who was busy sending his mother a death glare. When he felt my gaze, his head shifted towards me, his mouth turning up in a slight smirk. He just shrugged his shoulders and bit his lip.

"Well, it's true." He offered softly.

I could practically feel my mother vibrating across from me with elation. That woman was dead to me.

A few more uncomfortable moments passed between the four of us before our waitress finally rescued us to take our drink order.

"I'll have a Bloody Mary." I spit out, knowing full well that if I was going to survive this night, I going to need something to calm my nerves.

Edward's slight eyebrow raise was not lost on me but I chose to ignore it. Instead, I kept my focus trained on the waitress, who was scribbling down my order and whose eyes kept darting from me and back to Edward.

"How do you like it?" She was asking.

"Really spicy, lots of green olives and a pickle, please." I asked as politely as possible, even though the way she was eye-fucking Edward was more than off-putting. I almost laughed out loud at the thought. What did I care if the waitress was ogling him? It's not like he was really noticing anyways…

"Ugh, I don't know how you can drink those, Bella. It tastes like you're just taking shots of steak sauce…" Renee was muttering. Did I mention that I hated her?

With my order taken, she turned her full attention on Edward now, her eyes glimmering at the prospect of finally having a genuine excuse to talk to him.

Curiously, though, Edward sent a slight smirk my way before giving the waitress his order with a nod: "I'll have the same."

Renee's mouth opened slightly at that, the waitress just seemed lost in Edward's eyes, Esme was looking on with a glint of warm pride and I…I was just struggling to make sense of all this.

After Esme and Renee had ordered and that damn waitress was finally gone to get my much-needed Bloody Mary, I nonchalantly announced the need to use the restroom and not-so-subtly hinted that Renee needed to come with me. She had some explaining to do. As I slide out of the booth, my shoulder accidentally brushed against Edward's. I wasn't going to even think about the sensations rippling through me at that miniscule contact. I had bigger fish to fry.

Renee followed me into the bathroom with that crazy smile on her face that I was tempted to just slap off her.

"What's up, Bella?" She asked innocently.

I huffed, slammed the door behind me and planted down right in front of it so she was trapped.

"Alright, mom, you have thirty seconds to explain. And it'd better be good or I'm getting the hell out of here."

Finally, that shit-eating grin was gone. Her forehead immediately creased and a genuine look of concern crossed her features.

"What do you…"

I didn't even give her a chance to finish. I wasn't going to deal with this tonight. Especially not after the stunt she pulled. "You know exactly what I'm talking about. Esme. _Edward_. At dinner with us. Going to the show with us. What the hell, Mom?"

She immediately held her hands up in defense. "Bella, we really didn't plan it. It was really a coincidence."

"Bullshit."

"Ok, ok…well, it was planned but it wasn't. Rosalie really was going to go with Esme and then when their plans fell through; it just seemed like a good opportunity for us to all spend some time together."

I clenched and unclenched my fist tightly at my hips and exhaled deeply. "You know, this is an all-time low for you. This has got to be the absolute worst set-up in the history of horrible set-ups. God, I'm on a double date with my mother! Could it be any fucking worse?"

"Bella!" My mom rasped out in a hushed whisper. "Watch your mouth! It is not a double date…look, we should get back to the table but can you please just promise me to try to have fun tonight? When was the last time you went out and had a good time?"

My mouth opened and closed of its own volition as I struggled to find a counter argument. Well, if I was being completely honest with myself…it had actually been a while. Probably since my last night in Seattle with Jasper and Alice. That didn't exactly aid me in this situation. Renee might have had a point but I wasn't one to give in to her ridiculous schemes that easily. Someone had to be the adult in our relationship and it might as well be me.

"Mom…I know, ok? I know you're concerned about me and I know Esme is concerned about Edward and that both of you think we'd be a good couple and all that shit but could you please just back off? I'm not going to leave, alright. Besides, I've waited too fucking long for this show to back out now just because fucking Edward Cullen decided to ride in on his white horse."

Renee bit back a smile as she reached forward to gather me into a tight hug. "Language, Bella, language."

She rubbed my shoulders soothingly and whispered into my hair: "Just have fun tonight, Bella. That's all I'm asking."

* * *

EPOV

As Bella and her mom stalked off to the bathroom, I blew out a breath and threw a weary look toward my own grinning mother.

"What?" She asked slyly.

I rolled my eyes at her and shook my head before rested my elbows on the table to rub my eyes in disbelief. This night had quickly gone from bad to worst. First, my mother guilts me into tagging along with her at fucking "Wicked" of all things…what had she said? Oh yes… _"but Edward, I can't waste this ticket and…you wouldn't really let me go all by myself, would you?"_

Of course, she had conveniently forgotten to mention that she had had long-standing plans with some _friends_, also conveniently forgetting to mention exactly who those friends were. As soon as I saw Bella sitting in the booth…and her mother grinning like a five-year on Christmas Day, I knew exactly what our mothers had been up to. To say this whole thing was awkward was the understatement of the fucking year. But I'm not going to lie, if I was going to suffer through an entire night filled with clacking women and chick musicals, it somehow didn't seem too bad if it meant I got to spend the entire evening with Bella.

However, from the moment she caught sight of us, it was clear she didn't share my thoughts. Not only was she glaring hatefully across the table at her mother but she slid far over until there was as much space between us as possible, like I was a leper or something. She obviously wanted nothing to do with me. I had nothing else to do but open a menu so we could all order and get this night over with.

That annoying waitress came back with our drinks, pulling me out of my thoughts. She winked at me…she actually fucking _winked _at me…and I could have sworn her eyes lingered a little too long on a certain area below my waist. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat and sent her a weak smile. Unfortunately, that only seemed to encourage her. Suddenly, I hated my mother for more than just setting up this ridiculous scheme tonight…she had had to teach me manners too, didn't she?

I took a long pull from my Bloody Mary and exhaled deeply. Ah. Now I felt better.

"It's kinda funny that you guys both ordered the same drink, the exact same way, isn't it?" My mom said with a big smile.

I just rolled my eyes at her again. "Pure coincidence."

"Sure it is."

This time, I sighed and rubbed my eyes again.

"Oh come on, Edward. Don't tell me you weren't secretly happy to see her here, especially with the way you and Rosalie have been talking about her this past week. She seems like she's in a bad mood tonight, though…" She trailed off thoughtfully.

Was my mother really that dense?

"Hmm…I wonder why that is? Maybe because her crazy mom and my equally crazy mom thought it was a good idea to try to set up their children under the guise of going to fucking "Wicked"…which by the way, is probably going to be torture."

My mom just shook her head and waved that off. "Regardless, I think this is a good opportunity for you to get to know her better…even if it's just because she's a colleague."

I shrugged my shoulders and took another drink. "Well, she didn't exactly look happy to see me."

"I'm sure Bella automatically jumped to the conclusion that this was a set-up."

My eyebrows immediately shot-up in mock surprise. "It wasn't?"

My mom just frowned and waved me off again before she continued. "All I want is for the two of you to have a good time tonight…I know it's been a while since you've had a fun night out and Bella, well, she's had a difficult time with some things over the past few years. You'd be surprised how much you two have in common."

For some reason, I didn't doubt it.

My head snapped up when I caught sight of Bella and her mother walking back towards the table. At least now she looked a little calmer than she did before. I just couldn't figure this girl out. She was the most interesting person I had met in a long time…but she obviously wanted nothing to do with me and was only polite to me in school for the sake of being just that. There was something about her that I couldn't quite put my finger on; maybe it was the fact that she was so different from when I had known her in middle school, or maybe she hadn't really changed at all…I don't know, either way, I wanted to know this new Bella Swan and she wasn't letting me in. And the more I thought about it, the more I needed to know why. And the more I thought about _that_, the more it scared the shit out of me.

After that stupid waitress took our orders, Bella was practically mute beside me, focusing only on her Bloody Mary and looking more and more uncomfortable. Well, at least I knew we had that in common.

"So," I began, leaning towards her a little. I barely contained the eye-roll when I caught the moms jump at the motion. "How's the Bloody?"

Her eyes shot to mine, like she was shocked I was speaking to her and I felt my eyes narrow slightly at that. Why did she always act so surprised whenever I tried to start a conversation with her?

"Umm…it's great. Just the way I like it."

I nodded in approval. If she was going to suffer through this, she might as well have a good drink to go with it.

Dinner passed by faster than I thought it would and before I knew it, we were filing into our seats in the theatre. I was not at all surprised when Renee quickly slid in after my mom, forcing Bella and I to sit next to each other for the entire show. Figures.

As the show started, it was painfully obvious how uncomfortable Bella was with all of this. She was fidgeting in her chair, looking nervously around her…like she was trying to look anywhere but at me. She kept running her hand through her hair and biting her lip; every couple of seconds, if I looked hard enough, I could see her tongue dart out and run across her lips and it took a few moments to register the effect this motion had on me. I felt paralyzed. Mesmerized. It made my mouth water. I had to bite my lip just to keep my mouth from opening and closing like a crazy person. And then I was the one shifting uncomfortably in my seat, nonchalantly covering myself up with my playbill. How fucking old was I? Shit, it was like I was back in high school or something. Panting, horny teenager and all. Fuck. Fuck. Fuck. Bella Swan was going to be the death of me…

I tried to focus on the show, I really did. The parts that I did pay attention to actually weren't all that bad. The cast was pretty incredible and I could appreciate what they were trying to do with the score, when I was able to get past the fact that the whole thing was a play on "The Wizard of Oz". That was a little weird. I would never be able to watch that movie the same way again, that was for sure. But then, I allowed myself to look at Bella again and all my misgivings about this show and this night completely flew out the window. Her entire face was glowing with happiness, her discomfort at being so close to me probably long-forgotten at the start of the show, and she was mouthing the words to all the songs with the largest smile on her face I'd seen in a long time. I was wrong before. _This_ was mesmerizing. I had forgotten what happiness looked like, probably because it had been such a long time since I had actually _felt _it, I couldn't recognize it when I saw it. But here it was, right in front of me, and I had never seen her look so beautiful.

As we walked out of the theatre, I trailed behind the three ladies, who were bouncing with giddiness from their "Wicked" high. I had to admit, it was pretty amusing to see all three of them so excited and so awestruck.

"So what'd you think?" My mom asked me, her eyes shining up at me expectantly.

"It was great." I smiled and nodded, hoping she wouldn't want me to elaborate.

Apparently, that was good enough for her and she practically sprinted to catch up to Renee, who was now walking a little ahead of Bella and me. When my mom caught up to her, they both cast a sly glance back in our direction and I just shook my head. They were whispering to each other, scheming and plotting, without a doubt.

We herded out of the theatre along with the rest of the mass of people; somehow, Bella and I had gotten ahead of the moms. We were both walking towards our cars as fast as we could, trying to pull the scheming moms behind us, figuratively speaking, and were just about to cross the street when I heard Renee squeal to my mother:

"Oh Esme, have you been to that new martini bar? Oh my God, we have to go there…"

Both Bella and I whipped our heads around to shoot glares at Renee but of course, she didn't even acknowledge us. She just kept talking to my mother, who looked equally engaged in the prospect of getting a martini, of all things. My mom typically didn't drink martinis but of course, this would be the night to start. The perfect opportunity to keep Bella and me in close proximity to each other for a little bit longer. One look at Bella told me everything I needed to know. She was biting her lip to repress her frustration and disdain for the situation, casting longing looks in the direction of our cars. She was ready to leave and ready for this night to be over. Great.

"Come on, Mom." Bella chided. "It's getting late and Jack's probably going crazy without me at home…"

Renee just threw her a look over her shoulder and shrugged at her daughter. "You don't have to come, Bella. Edward can take you home, can't you, Edward?"

All three women's heads turned directly to me. My mom and Renee were silently pleading with me to agree to this farce and Bella…well, her face was nothing short of horror-stricken. And as much as I wanted to put Bella out of her misery, I didn't want to have to deal with my mom when she got home. I knew I'd never hear the end of it if I didn't agree to this.

So, like the dumb-shit I was, I replied: "Uh…sure, I can…not a big deal."

I couldn't allow myself to look at Bella. Seeing her reaction probably would have made me want to punch myself in the stomach. The last thing I wanted to do was make this whole situation any harder on her than it had to be. But, on the other hand, the last thing I wanted to do was face the wrath of a pissed-off Esme. Rosalie probably wouldn't be too happy with me either. Shit. I was fucked every which way you looked at it.

Bella didn't even get a chance to argue because Renee and my mom were already half-way to the martini bar, arm-in-arm, probably congratulating each other on their awesomely bad match-making skills. So instead, Bella just cast a weary glance at me and threw her hands up in the air in frustration. My thoughts exactly.

"Those two are insufferable." She muttered under her breath.

I couldn't resist. "Leave it to you to use big words when you're angry."

Her eyes snapped back up to mine. "I'm not angry…just…."

"Frustated?" I offered.

"Yeah, that sounds about right."

"Well, get used to the feeling because something tells me they're not done yet."

By this time, we were already walking to the parking lot and I tried very hard not to notice the way Bella maintained a safe distance away from me. As if I needed anymore reminders that this fascinating woman wanted nothing to do with me. I was beginning to feel like she was an enigma I didn't have a shot in hell at deciphering. I suddenly found myself analyzing every interaction with her from middle school I could remember. Had I ever been mean to her? Had I ever had fun of her for looking like a boy all the time? Had we played one-on-one and I beat her or something? No…I'd probably remember that one…there was nothing standing out to me from our shared past that could possibly make her feel as uncomfortable around me as she obviously did. I just couldn't figure this out.

We had already been driving for several minutes when the awkward silence became too much to bear. We both must have had the same thought because we leaned forward, reaching for the radio controls, and our fingers touched at the exact same time. Bella seemed to almost jolt out of her seat at the contact and I couldn't shake the thrill that rushed through me at the feel of her fingers. They were as soft as I had thought they would be.

"Sorry." I muttered helplessly under my breath. I felt like I was completely on territory here. I had no idea how to go about any of this…it had been such a long time since I had found myself in this position; alone for the first time with a girl I was interested in, alone in a small, confined, somewhat intimate space…completely and totally out of my comfort zone here. I felt like I was back in middle school. Or at least high school. Fuck.

"Don't worry about it." She said softly but it didn't take a genius to figure out she was still uncomfortable and still not looking me in the eye.

A few more minutes of silence passed and I realized I only had limited time alone with her. And I was going to make the best of it.

"So…I take it you liked the show?"

For the first time in several hours, Bella's head turned and her eyes met me straight-on. The cautious, uncomfortable look in her eye was still there but it was still eye contact nonetheless. Beggers can't be choosers.

To my complete shock and delight, she let out a soft, musical laugh.

"Yes, I liked it. I loved it actually. I have to say, out of all the shows I've seen, that one is definitely my favorite."

I nodded, happy that she was actually talking to me of her own free-will.

"How many have you seen?"

This wasn't exactly fascinating conversation, but all I really wanted to do was keep her talking.

When she didn't answer right away, I turned my head slightly away from the road to look at her and my mouth curved up in a little smile at what I saw. She was biting her lip, her forehead crinkled in deep thought and she was looking up at the ceiling of my car, most likely counting in her head. It was too endearing for my own good.

"Well…I've seen "Phantom" twice, "The Lion King", "Mamma Mia", this is the third time I've seen "Wicked", "Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream-coat", "Miss Saigon"…hmm…what else?"

I chuckled softly as I listened to her list. Her eyes immediately flew to mine again at the sound.

"What?" She asked, the look in her eyes retreating back to cautious and aloof.

"You've seen a lot of shows…who do you see all those with?"

A soft smile appeared out of nowhere on her lips and I couldn't stop my own from appearing on mine.

"My mom, mostly. We dragged Alice and Jasper to "Wicked" once…Alice liked it but Jasper kind of had the same reaction to it that you did." She chuckled again, her smile spreading into a lop-sided grin that threw me off guard.

"What do you mean? I liked it just fine…"

She rolled her eyes at me and chuckled again. "Come on, you were just saying that so your mom didn't rip you a new one. You tolerated it at best. Just admit it."

Now I was grinning like a fool. I was definitely liking this new Bella the more time I spent with her.

"Ok, fine. You got me. But it wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be."

"Fair enough."

The longer this conversation went on, the more difficulty I had keeping my eyes focused on the road and off of this mesmerizing creature to my right.

"So it's kind of a thing you and your mom do, then?" I just wanted to keep her talking.

She smiled again and nodded to me. "Yeah, Phil…my step-dad…he's not really the type of guy to go to those things with her and since I love them and she needs someone to go with, I get to go for free."

"So…do you like Phil? I mean…sorry…you don't have to answer that if you don't want to…" I was mentally kicking myself for talking out my ass. What the hell was I thinking, asking her that?

But fortunately for me, Bella didn't seem too fazed by that. Instead, she just shrugged it off and nodded.

"Yeah, I like him just fine. He's a fun guy to have around. And my mom absolutely loves him, which doesn't hurt. Sometimes I wish he wasn't so much younger than her but…she wants who she wants."

"How was it for you…with your parents and everything…" God, I'm an idiot. Verbal sewage was spewing uncontrollably from my mouth.

Still, Bella didn't seem to mind talking about it. "I wasn't really all that surprised…I mean I always knew my parents loved each other, they just weren't _in _love with each other, you know what I mean?"

I sighed.

"Yeah, tell me about it." I muttered under my breath. Realizing my mistake, I felt my whole body tense with regret and frustration. If she wasn't turned off before, she sure as hell would be now by that stupid outburst. We didn't need to talk about that yet. I wasn't sure if I would ever be able to talk about that.

Bella fell silent next to me and even though I kept my focus firmly on the road, I could tell she was back to withholding eye contact. It wasn't like I didn't deserve it now.

I almost jumped with shock when I heard her soft voice again and my eyes flew to her; not surprisingly, she was looking anywhere but at me.

"You know, Edward, this probably isn't my place but I think you're doing really well…I'm sure you don't feel well, on the inside, but you're managing, you're composed…and that's all you can hope for right about now, I guess."

I swallowed nervously and my hands tightened their grip on the steering wheel. I couldn't speak, I definitely couldn't look her in the eye now. If she sensed my new tension, she didn't show it and instead, continued speaking barely above a whisper.

"I don't know if you know this or not…but, I know a little something about what you're going through. I was with my high school boyfriend for almost five years…from my sophomore year of high school to my junior year of college…I thought I was going to marry him, I thought I loved him…I thought we had it all figured out. But when we ended up at different schools, I thought it wouldn't change anything about our relationship. Turned out, the joke was on me…college changed him…and after a while, we didn't really know each other anymore…the distance definitely didn't help anything but I think this probably would have happened anyway. I guess what I'm trying to say is that I've been through it too…he told me, flat-out, that he didn't love me anymore and it hurt like hell. I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, couldn't go to class, definitely couldn't do any homework…my whole life and everything I had planned out for us, a wedding, children, the two-story house with the white picket fence, that was all gone the second he told me he didn't love me anymore."

Somehow, through her story, I managed to find my voice when she paused for a moment.

"So what happened…how did you…?" I couldn't finish, my voice was already hoarse and broken and the emotions raging through me were ones I didn't want to think about.

"At first, I felt like I wasn't really there, you know? Like I wasn't really in my body, just going through the motions, completely numb to everything and everyone…and then I started thinking about all the fights we had gotten into the last few months, even years of our relationship, how distant he had gotten, how many times he had made me cry, how I couldn't remember the last nice or romantic thing he done for me and then…I got angry. I hated him for putting me through that for so long, for making me suffer when he had to have known for longer that his feelings had changed…I hated him for treating me like shit, like I didn't matter and then…somewhere in between anger and hate and grief and denial, I finally felt like I was free…that I was better off to be rid of him…that he done both of us a favor by ending it before we got married, before we had kids, and gradually, it didn't hurt so much and I wasn't so angry…but, Edward, the point I'm trying to make is that, no matter how much it hurts, no matter what you're feeling, it's never going to be worse than how you feel right now, to how you've felt over the last couple of months and you have nowhere to go but up. Time really does heal all wounds and if you just give yourself time, to do whatever it is you need to do, you really will feel better. I promise you that. And…if you ever need someone to talk to, well…you know where I live and you know where my room is at school."

I was completely and totally stunned. Never had I ever expected Bella to open up to me like this…let alone say everything I both needed and didn't want to hear. I didn't want to be reminded of my pain…I was fine staying comfortably numb, comfortably disassociating myself from my heartbreak and anguish, how the walls had caved in on me, how nothing had made sense to me anymore…but Bella had given me a ray of hope. More than one, actually.

I was just finding my voice again when I realized that we were parked right outside of Bella's house and that she was looking at me with a worried expression. She probably thought I was angry with her. Shit.

She quickly said good-night and hurriedly threw open the door. Swearing under my breath, I flung my door open and sprinted out to catch up to her.

"Bella!" I exhaled breathlessly.

She turned to me with a pained expression on her face and I wanted to hit myself for having caused it.

"Edward…I didn't mean to upset…" She started before I cut her off.

"No, Bella, you didn't have to tell me all that but I'm glad you did…thank you."

I needed her to understand that this wasn't about her…my reaction didn't have anything to do with her. It was all me, all my pent-up shit.

She smiled faintly and nodded to me.

"Well, good-night, Edward. Thanks for the ride home."

"Anytime, Bella, anytime."

With that, she abruptly turned on her heel and practically sprinted into the house, shutting the door behind her and effectively, once again, shutting me out.

* * *

BPOV

I pressed my forehead against the front door and fought the urge to bang it repeatedly into the door until I couldn't feel all of this anymore. I had said too much. Way too much. He probably thought I was a nosy, stupid little girl who didn't know anything about his problems and was just butting-in. _Nice, Bella, very nice. Not only does he now think you're a musical freak but he thinks you're just freak in general too_.

I felt something warm and wet on my hand and couldn't stop the smile and peaceful feeling that swept over me. He could always tell when I was upset and he always knew just what to do to make me feel better. I really loved that big ball of fluff.

"Hey there, Jackie." I reached down to pet him and he jumped up on me to say hello. "Well, hello to you, too. I hope you behaved yourself…"

Jack trotted behind me as I went up the stairs to settle in for bed. Even as I winded down and got ready for bed, I couldn't shake my conversation with Edward. There was something about him that was getting under my skin and I wasn't sure that I liked it. After all, I had told him about Jacob and I didn't volunteer that information to just anyone. It was privileged knowledge and he had gotten more details than I usually chose to relate. He had just seemed so…helpless, so defeated, so angry…and I recognized those emotions all too well. Seeing that look in his eye, that look I knew so well, brought up an urge to want to make it all go away for him…to offer him my own experience and the lessons I had learned. I didn't want to see him in pain. But thinking about why that was scared the hell out me.

I pulled the covers over my head and reached down to give Jack a good-night scratch as he snuggled in. I didn't want to get too involved with Edward. I hadn't planned on ever telling him about Jacob. I didn't want to feel a connection to him. I didn't want to feel the urge to protect him and take care of him that I was suddenly feeling. I didn't want to feel any of the emotions I was currently feeling. I had worked too hard to get past my own pain and now that I was finally feeling safe and secure, the last thing I wanted to do was throw it all to hell over some guy that needed saving. Well, he could save himself.

I had learned the hard way that allowing yourself to get too involved, too invested in a relationship is only going to end badly. And I had no intention of getting myself involved in something I knew I would never be able to get myself out of. This wasn't all just Jacob's fault…I'd yet to find a guy that I could count on, Phil and Charlie not included, and I didn't feel like testing that on Edward. We had both been through too much, gone to hell and back, to risk more heartache and more anguish. Besides, Edward hadn't proven to me that he could even be considered somewhat trustworthy.

"You're the only man I can really trust, Jack." I whispered into the night as my protection, my personal and physical security nuzzled closer to me.

I didn't need anything more than what I already had. And I wasn't going to let anyone change my mind.

* * *

**I hope you liked it...I was trying to go for a nice mix of humor and angst, hope it worked. And, since it's been forever since I've updated, I spent some extra time on this to give you a super-long chapter (I'm not saying that makes up for my slacking, but it helps, doesn't it?). **

**Anyways, since life has gotten in the way, I've decided to just work on one chapter at a time for each story. So since I've updated this, the next chapter I'll work on is for Bleeding Love (I know some of you are dying for this one but I wanted to update this one too). It's easier for me to just alternate updates because then I won't feel like I'm favoring one story over the other. **

**Since it's been forever, I know some of my earlier readers are probably long gone but if you're still here or if you're new to this, please leave me some feedback and let me know what you think and if you have any suggestions for where the story should go from here...I love your input!!**


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